Northland Connection: March 2025

Proposed Bylaw Changes Would Benefit Cooperative

In May, all members will have the opportunity to vote in Platte-Clay’s annual Cooperative election. Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. Part of the democratic cooperative process is electing directors who represent you on the board. We will talk more about director elections in the April voting guide issue. This month, I’d like to discuss the bylaw amendments that will also be on this year’s ballot.

PCEC and its board of directors are governed by a set of bylaws that are voted on by the consumer-members. Our bylaws provide formal structure to the business of the Cooperative and guide processes relating to Platte-Clay’s governance. When bylaw amendments are proposed, they are voted on by the membership.

If there is one thing in the energy industry that is constant, it is change. Our bylaws have been around since our inception in 1938, and over the course of our history there have been many parts that have had to be updated to reflect modern times. As a cooperative guided by local decision-making, we can adapt quickly to changes and act in the best interests of our members. Everything we do is centered around providing reliable and affordable electric service that our members have told us they want.

Here is an overview of the bylaw amendments that will be on the ballot this year:

1. Remove unnecessary proxy voting from the election process.
2. Add a finance reporting requirement to director qualifications.
3. Remove the nominating committee process from director nominations.

Looking back prior to 2020, members had to be present during a business meeting to cast their ballot in the annual membership meeting. The only other option was to give their proxy to another member who would be at the meeting and cast a ballot on their behalf. At the time, approximately 300 members were exercising their right to vote. During Covid restrictions, we quickly adapted to offering members the opportunity to vote online or with a mail-in ballot option, and our membership passed bylaw changes to allow this process for future elections.

This has proven to be a very effective way to increase our election participation. We’ve averaged over 1,000 members participating in recent elections. With several voting options including mail, online, and in person, we no longer need outdated proxy voting. Our board is asking members to update the bylaws to remove the unnecessary proxy option.

At the 2024 annual meeting, we had a motion from the floor from a member regarding director campaign finance reform. The motion called for board candidates to reveal campaign contributions from third-party sources. The motion was seconded by another member, and there will be a formal bylaw amendment on the ballot. We are seeing this kind of outside influence more than ever before, and the Co-op has been aware of this and can confirm there have been active third-party attempts to influence our elections and director candidates. As the general manager, I think this was a good directive by members. From my perspective, I don’t think outside groups with special agendas should help decide how our Co-op operates. I think it’s bad business. We are a locally owned and operated utility, and we don’t need people who don’t even live around here trying to influence what we do.

The third bylaw amendment would remove the nominating committee process from the director nomination process. Currently the bylaws offer two deadlines for interested director candidates. One deadline where a committee convenes to approve candidates, and then a second deadline for director candidates who miss the deadline. If a candidate misses the deadline the bylaws allow a candidate to run by petition with 15 signatures. The proposed amendment by the Board would create one deadline and require all candidates to secure 15 member signatures to run, which would eliminate the need for a nominating committee.

This would simplify the process and allow for one deadline to print in member newsletters and avoid the potential extra expense of a special mailing. It also levels the playing field for all members who are interested in running for a director position. Incumbent directors will follow the same petition process if they are interested in running for re-election.

As the general manager, I feel that each of these proposed bylaw amendments would be beneficial changes for our Cooperative and encourage you to vote to approve them in the upcoming election. I always aim to be transparent with our membership and would be happy to discuss any questions you may have about the proposed bylaw amendments.

You will be able to review the complete bylaw language at www.pcec.coop/vote beginning in April, and the online election will be open from May 1-27. Having open and fair democratic elections are an essential part of what makes cooperatives unique compared to investor and municipal-owned utilities. Each PCEC member has equal voting privileges, and I encourage you to take part in this special process.

Q&A with PCEC Director Kim Goepferich

Q. What are some of the highlights of your time serving on the PCEC Board?

A. I don’t feel like they’re my highlights as much as they are the cooperative’s highlights. I love being a part of the team here. It’s a combination of the board, the staff, and the employees working to do our best for the members, and I’m proud of that. Because if we can’t work effectively together the members are the ones who would be affected. Our reliability is one of the things we are most proud of. It shows up time and time again in the member comments. That work started before I was even a board member, but we have made sure that has remained a top priority for members to receive the highest quality service.

I had the opportunity to attend the board certification training and become a Certified Cooperative Director, and I think it was very beneficial. Getting to train and work with other board members in the same position across the country and have them to be able to contact is really amazing.

Q. How does your job experience help you in serving on the PCEC Board?

A. Most of my job experience has involved customer relations, and I don’t think you could do this job very well if you didn’t care about the members. That is our first priority – taking care of the members. Since that is all I’ve known my whole life, that makes a big difference. Every decision we come up against we have to think of the members. To me that’s customer service. Also, I’ve been a numbers person my whole life as well, and a lot of that comes up when we are talking budgets. You have to think outside of the box sometimes because just looking at the numbers isn’t always the whole story. For us to be effective in representing our members, I think it’s important to have someone with this background on the board to help make these decisions.

Q. What is your favorite part of serving on the Board?

A. The people. 100 percent. I think that the board is a diverse group of ages and experience, which is very helpful. Getting to see and interact with the membership is great. I’m very social, so it is very important to me. We’re very transparent here, so any interactions we have with members is pretty easy because we are so open, and it is easy to answer any questions.

The staff is great, too. What I don’t understand, somebody is here to help me understand it. We don’t all have the same experience or knowledge, so I love working with this group because they are able to offer so many perspectives. They’re great about that here.

I feel like everyone here is doing it for the right reasons. I love to do the research and understand why we do things because I can’t make a decision for an entire group of people without all the facts. I like working on behalf of the membership and being able to use my skills to help represent them.

Q. What are some of the things you think PCEC is doing well?

A. Our no-loss time safety achievements are awesome because that is people going home to their families healthy. We have pushed this since very early on in my tenure here. I love that as a whole it is about the people and not anything else.

I also like the fact that the board is a cohesive unit. We all have opinions and are not afraid to express them. Nobody looks down on anyone for expressing their opinions, and this helps us make the best decisions on behalf of the whole cooperative, including the membership, staff and employees.

I see us continuing to have that relationship and striving for excellence in safety, open communications and maintaining a highly skilled workforce for the co-op.

Q. What are your future priorities as a PCEC Director?

A. Making sure we have reliable service will always be a top priority. We have to be forward thinking. I think being a board member for the next decade is going to be a real challenge. With rate increases, with reliability, with trying to do what’s best for members while the electric industry is likely undergoing big changes trying to meet growing energy demand. Reliability, safety and keeping our workforce intact at high level are the things I think we are going to have to focus on.

Q. What would you like to ensure members know about the PCEC Board or the co-op’s operations?

A. In the nine years I have been here, we have had a lot of change as far as board members. Some have been here a long time, some have been here a little while, and some are brand new. I think this makes our group very effective. We have people who have been around and seen everything and know some of the things that work and don’t. Those of us who have been here a little while are really starting to understand things and putting the pieces together, and then the new ones have fresh ideas. So when you have a good mix like we have it is a pretty great place to be. This board works very well together. It works great with the staff. The leadership feels comfortable working with the board, and I think the employees know we care about them. I think the membership feels comfortable and knowledgeable about what’s going on. I feel very gratified every board meeting when we get positive member comments and know that the decisions we are making are positively impacting people and they appreciate what we are doing.

Preparedness is the Best Defense for Storm Season

Spring is on our doorstep and like many of you, I’m looking forward to more opportunities to be outdoors and enjoy warmer weather. Springtime brings many of my favorite activities like cooking out with family and friends, time spent working on my property and simply slowing down a bit to enjoy life.

Unfortunately, spring and summer can also create the perfect conditions for severe storms.

Platte-Clay crews are always prepared and standing by to respond should power outages occur in our area. When severe storms cause power disruptions, our line crews take all necessary precautions before they get to work on any outages.

I would encourage you to also practice safety and preparedness to protect your family during storms and outages.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends the items below as a starting point for storm and disaster preparedness, but you can visit www.ready.gov for additional resources.

• Stock your pantry with a three-day supply of non-perishable food, including canned goods, energy bars, peanut butter, powdered milk, instant coffee, water and other essentials (i.e. diapers and toiletries).
• Confirm that you have adequate sanitation and hygiene supplies including towelettes, soap and hand sanitizer.
• Ensure your first aid kit is stocked with pain relievers, bandages and other medical essentials, and make sure any prescriptions are current.
• Set aside basic household items you will need, including flashlights, batteries, a manual can opener and portable, battery-powered radio or TV.
• Organize emergency supplies so they are easily accessible in one location.

In the event of a prolonged power outage, turn off major appliances, TVs, computers and other sensitive electronics. This will help avert damage from potential power surges and will also help prevent overloading circuits during power restoration. That said, do leave one light on so you will know when power is restored.

If you plan to use a portable generator, make sure it’s rated to handle the amount of power you will need, and always review the manufacturer’s instructions to Preparedness is the Best Defense for Storm Season operate it safely.

Listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for storm and emergency information, and check Platte-Clay’s Facebook page for restoration updates.

Severe storms can occasionally bring down power lines. If you see a downed line, always assume it’s energized and never approach it. If flooding occurs, never walk through areas where power lines could be submerged.

Advance planning for severe storms or other emergencies can reduce stress and anxiety caused by the weather event and lessen the impact of the storm’s effects.

Sign up for NOAA emergency alerts and warnings and follow us on social media for the latest power restoration updates. If you experience an outage, please don’t report it on Facebook. Call our outage reporting number at (816) 628-3121––this is the fastest way to let us know if your power is out.

I hope we don’t experience severe storms over the spring and summer months, but we can never predict Mother Nature’s plans. At PCEC, we recommend that you make a plan today––because storm preparedness is always our best defense.

Are You Storm Ready?

Follow these safety and preparation tips during spring and summer storm season.

Be Prepared.

• Create an emergency kit with power outage essentials: batteries, power banks, flashlights, non-perishable foods, water, medical supplies and prescriptions.
• Develop an emergency family plan with meeting points, communication methods and evacuation routes. Share your plan with all family members.
• Monitor weather for important updates that could impact your emergency plan.

Stay Safe.

• Ensure a safe shelter. Stay away from windows and doors. In tornadoes, move to a basement or an interior room without windows.
• Use portable generators safely: operate outdoors in well-ventilated areas, place on a flat, dry surface, do not overload and always read the operating manual before use.
• Severe storms can bring down tree limbs and power lines. If you encounter a downed line, stay back. Always assume a downed line is live and dangerous.

Service Highlight: Surge Protection

Prepare for the spring storm season by safeguarding your electrical equipment with Platte-Clay surge protection. PCEC offers whole-house surge protection that can help you protect sensitive electronic equipment against power surges. The device provides complete household hard-wire protection for up to 70,000 amps. You can lease these devices for only $4.95 per month, which can be added to your electric bill.

Members may get a surge protector by emailing mail@pcec.coop or calling (816) 628-3121 to schedule an installation.